A recent New York Times piece by Conor Dougherty follows the commute of a middle-class woman who wakes up at 2:15am in her affordable Stockton home to take two trains and a bus to her job in San Francisco.

This example of a so-called “super commuter” is a familiar story to many in Los Angeles. With housing prices rising, Angelenos have to increasingly make trade-offs between finding an affordable living situation, often on the edges of L.A., and increased commute times to their jobs.

According to conventionalwisdom, the happiness gained from a shorter commute is worth having a smaller place. But for many in L.A., financial reality necessitates both a long commute and a small home, just to make ends meet.

We want to hear about how you handle these trade-offs. What roles do commute time and housing cost play in your decisions regarding where you live? How many hours a day do you spend in your car? What financial and emotional concessions have you made in order to afford housing in L.A.?